Iberostar Waves Paraiso del Mar

My family and I stayed at Paraiso Del Mar last week in Playa del Carmen. We went to have a great vacation. We left having an absolutely AMAZING time…so much so we’re booked to return in October! The entire resort, staff and service is a notch above all the rest. We’ve traveled the world and we were taken aback by the service we were given. We were treated like royalty and as though we were the only guests on the property. We fell in love with the Iberostar brand and what it has to offer around the world so much so that we became Club Members. Diego and Alessa made sure we were happy each day and helped us tremendously with navigating the property, things to do outside the resort, explained thoroughly the membership benefits and process and overall truly wanted us to enjoy our time. Diego and Alessa made sure we had a home away from home. We went home having made friends and can’t wait to see them both in October! Billie, whom works in Sales, was awesome! He wasn’t pushy. He explained our options with the Club Membership and worked hard to find a membership that worked for our family. When we had questions Billie found us at the pool to talk to us! Talk about first class service! Thank you to all of you and Iberostar for an AWESOME experience and WONDERFUL vacation! Til October…🥳! Last but definitely not the least, the resort itself is magnificent! Huge property with numerous hotel options, restaurants with high quality food and drink, water park, wave pool, gorgeous beach, numerous pools, and allllllll the animals! As you walk or use a golf cart to get around you’ll be among sereches, flamingos, swans, peacocks, iguanas, many birds, geckos, monkeys…it’s an animal lovers paradise! The flora and fauna are endless and truly dreamy! True paradise. Incredible beauty!

We booked nine days at this resort and left after five. It's the first place we've ever wanted to leave early rather than extend, and here's why.

Early in the trip, our kids were watching a large iguana by the pool when a staff member walked over and grabbed it by the tail for no apparent reason. He swung it around, hitting chairs and the floor, until its tail snapped off. When I asked why, he laughed and said, "Oh, they grow back." For a property covered in signs about protecting the local environment, this was disturbing and hard to square with the image they promote.

Service was a recurring problem. With few exceptions, staff didn't seem interested in being helpful, and simple requests like a glass of milk for the kids were often met with irritation. The one standout was William, the bartender, who was warm and helpful every time. Our group joked he was the only friendly person at the resort. Dining was frustrating too. Non-club members have to make same-day restaurant reservations, but every morning we were told nothing was available, even at 8:30. Yet when I asked a manager, they booked us without issue. Because our group was four families, we were also told everyone had to pick from just two menu items, which we've never encountered anywhere else. Food access was a challenge generally. The grounds are huge, so it took about 15 minutes to walk to the buffet, which was essentially the only option. No snacks at the pool or lobby. The one alternative was a beach burger shack, where the burgers were stale and cold.

To be fair, the property is beautiful and full of nature, and that's its real strength. The beach was almost entirely covered in Sargassum, which isn't the resort's fault, but a usable beach might have been the one thing that redeemed the stay. I'll credit Wendy, the only person who genuinely seemed to care and made real efforts to help. She arranged a special dinner for us, but the execution didn't match her intentions: poor service, bad drinks, and a bottle of champagne left in a room whose fridge barely worked, so there was no way to have it cold.

In the end, the setting is lovely, but that wasn't enough to make up for the service and food. We left early, which says more than anything else I could write here.

We had an amazing vacation! The food was delicious, the pools were beautiful, and the entertainment every night was fantastic. We especially want to thank Cinthia Saucedo for her outstanding service. She was always friendly, professional, and genuinely cared about making our stay unforgettable. Her positive attitude and warm hospitality made us feel at home. We can't wait to come back!